Unimicron meets energy goals with Bloom
Unimicron is committed to the target of using 100% renewable electricity, recognizing the mission towards zero carbon grids at scale.
As centralized coal and nuclear power facilities are phased out, the industry faces challenges such as unpredictable power outages, voltage drops, space constraints, and the increasing need to operate critical infrastructure—like chillers and clean room processes—continuously. Consequently, there is an escalating demand for on-site power generation solutions that are both clean and dependable.
Currently, Taiwan depends on centralized power plants, with 10,000+ feeder lines over 410,000km, 1.55 million switches, 1.48 million transformers, and 3.2 million electric poles[1]. Any encounters with an external force or malfunctions lead to feeder tripping, causing regional or substation outages.
Unplanned outages affect business as usual and cost millions of dollars in loss of production and backup sources. Though the number of outages is on a downward trend thanks to government efforts, there is still a gap (over 6000 outages in 2023[2]) that needs to be addressed immediately.
For on-site, clean, and dependable power, Unimicron turned to Bloom for their energy needs.
Implementation
Bloom completed the first 600kW installation, operating in parallel to the Utility, at the Unimicron facility in Taoyuan in August 2023. The space-saving Energy Server was delivered five months after the order was placed and commissioned three weeks later. Bloom’s modularity makes it nearly effortless to expand and Unimicron can take advantage of this as they continue to expand until 2027.
Why Bloom?
Power security
On average, Typhoons occur about 13 times a year in Taiwan. The most severe typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in the past 12 months was Saola. It reached a wind speed of up to 248 km/h on August 29th and was 125 kilometers in diameter. This corresponded to a category 4 typhoon. During Taiwan’s recent category 4 Typhoon Gaemi, Bloom’s Energy Server remained stable with an output factor of 100.3%, while Taipower had to shut down solar power equipment (inverters) due to explosion risks.
Power Quality
As part of its manufacturing ecosystem (advanced PCBs), Unimicron operates several critical and highly sensitive pieces of equipment. Each time this equipment is impacted by power fluctuations or power quality, there is a monetary impact due to interruptions in production and equipment failure, ultimately resulting in costly maintenance for the company.
Clean
The Bloom Energy Server generates electricity using the hydrogen stored in natural gas without combustion. Compared to the grid, carbon emissions are generally reduced by 30% using Bloom’s fuel cell technology. Criteria pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), or particulate matter (PM) are negligible.
This installation reduced emissions by 424 tons (384,646kg) of CO2e after starting operations in the second half of 2023. The emissions will reduce further as Bloom’s system expands over the years. Unimicron prioritizes carbon reduction in its operations and found Bloom’s Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) technology to be not only one of the cleanest solutions, but the most stable and efficient, meeting its continuous power needs for its critical loads.
Compact
Energy density plays a very important role in Taiwan due to the limited availability of land. For example, a 1 MW Solar PV farm requires over 125x more space than a Bloom Energy Server whereas a 1 MW Bloom Energy Server occupies only ~330m2.
Price Predictable
Traditional green electricity sources in Taiwan cost up to 30% more than the power from a Bloom Energy Server which has the added benefit of providing stable electricity around the clock. Having made the choice, Unimicron’s leadership described the Bloom Energy Server as “a golden hen that continuously lays golden eggs, compared to other green energy sources that are just expensive eggs.” Company’s pay a peak hour premium today for utilizing grid power and the cost of the Grid power is projected to rise by double digits over the next few years. Which means locking in a clean, and more stable power source today was an easy decision.
